Department for Transport

East-West Rail Link

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the new direct railway line from Cambridge to Oxford will be completed; and when the first (1) passenger, and (2) goods, trains will run in each direction

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimatedcost of completing the Cambridge to Oxford direct rail link.

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures. if any, they are taking (1) to ensure the economic sustainability, and (2) to mitigate the environmental impact, of the Cambridge to Oxford direct rail link.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The full East West Rail (EWR) scheme (Oxford to Cambridge) is planned to be delivered, and operational for passenger and freight services, by the end of the decade. We are currently working hard with the East West Railway Company and Network Rail to develop the right future service patterns for the scheme. This will help ensure that EWR objectives are achieved and provide the best possible connectivity for the communities and customers. Plans, including costs, for the whole scheme are still in development. We will release further details in due course. Environmental implications and ensuring economic sustainability have been important parts of the decision-making process for the EWR scheme. A strategic objective of EWR is to provide a sustainable and value for money transport solution to support economic growth in the area. This is to be achieved by improving transport connections within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, and ensuring the line supports new housing development in the area.The EWR scheme aims to become a net-zero carbon railway. It is committed to protecting the environment by finding approaches to delivery that avoid, minimise or mitigate negative environmental impacts. As part of this, for example, the East West Railway Company has committed to delivering biodiversity net gain in the area.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Universities: Regulation

Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regulatory burden on universities when making screening decisions for research funding; and what plans they have to reduce any such burden

Lord Callanan: The Government is taking a number of steps to reduce the overall bureaucratic burden on universities in receipt of research funding. The Government will shortly announce an independent review of research bureaucracy. This will build on the initiatives already underway in major public funding organisations. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the largest public funder of research and innovation in the UK. UKRI requires institutions, including universities, applying to its research opportunities to demonstrate compliance against several requirements depending on the type of opportunity and nature of the proposed research. These are:Research Ethics, Misconduct and Conflicts of InterestUse of Animals in ResearchHealth & SafetyEquality, Diversity & InclusionSafeguardingBullying and HarassmentWhistleblowingIn addition, UKRI may also request information concerning the support available for career development and training of staff involved in the proposed research.UKRI regularly review and improve their processes following ongoing consultation and discussion with applicants to their opportunities and institutions, including universities. UKRI has recently launched a new programme, Simpler and Better Funding, to review and improve its systems and processes for applicants, institutions and wider stakeholders. With regard to health and care research funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, the National Institute of Health Research is working to reduce administrative burdens across the health and care research sector in a number of areas - one of these being the funding application process.

Research: Foreign Investment in UK

Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce rules to govern screening decisions in relation to foreign investment in research and development based in the UK to ensure that such investment can take place without disruption.

Lord Callanan: The Government published advice called Trusted Research in September 2019. This aims to support the integrity of the system of international research collaboration. It outlines potential risks to UK research and innovation. It helps researchers have confidence in international collaboration and make informed decisions around potential risks. It also explains how to protect research and staff from potential theft, misuse of exploitation. The sector is adopting the advice and institutions are changing the ways they make decisions on such investments.

Life Sciences: Economic Situation

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to prioritise the life sciences sector in anyeconomic recovery policies.

Lord Callanan: We have a long-term ambition for the UK to become the leading global hub for life sciences through the implementation of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy; the last year has accelerated and deepened that commitment. The UK is at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies: for example, we have launched genome sequencing of 500,000 Biobank participants; developed a national infrastructure for advanced therapy manufacturing; and establishing the Accelerated Access Collaborative to deliver a step change in the uptake of innovative treatments in the NHS. We continue this work in collaboration with our life sciences partners in order to build back better, boosting resilience in the sector and strengthening our science base. This is supported by the Government’s target of public and private research and development investment to reach 2.4% of GDP by 2027.

National Security and Investment Bill

Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a planned timetable for the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s decisions on notifications being submitted in the correct form under the mandatory notification procedure proposed in the National Security and Investment Bill; and if so, what that timetable is.

Lord Callanan: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State must decide to accept or reject a mandatory notification as soon as is reasonably practicable. If a notification is accepted, the Secretary of State will be required to issue any call-in notice within 30 working days. If the statutory test is met and the Secretary of State decides to call in an acquisition, they have a further 30 working days to decide whether to impose any final remedies. This is extendable by a further 45 working days, and subsequent to this a mutually agreed voluntary period or periods, if the relevant legal test is met. A draft notification form was published alongside the introduction of the Bill on 11 November 2020, to help interested parties understand what information is likely to be required for a valid notification.

National Security and Investment Bill

Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have defined what asset transactions should be referred to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy under the proposed rules in the National Security and Investment Bill; whether they intend to exclude any such transactions from those rules; and if so, which transactions they intend to exclude.

Lord Callanan: As part of the proposed National Security and Investment regime, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be able to call-in acquisitions of control over qualifying assets to scrutinise them for potential national security concerns. Before any acquisitions can be called-in, the Secretary of State must publish a Statement setting out how they expect to use this call-in power. The Government expects parties will use this Statement to help decide whether to voluntarily notify both entity and asset acquisitions to the Secretary of State. A draft of the Statement was published alongside the introduction of the Bill on 11 November 2020. It explains that certain areas of the economy are expected to be the areas most likely to give rise to national security risks. That includes acquisitions of control over assets that are integral to the relevant activities of the entities within those sectors. This will ensure that parties are unable to simply circumvent the regime by acquiring sensitive assets rather than the entities that own these assets. The Secretary of State does, however, expect to intervene in such acquisitions exceedingly rarely. Clause 11 of the Bill provides the Secretary of State with the power to amend the types of asset acquisitions of control that fall within scope of this regime through secondary legislation. The Secretary of State will keep the functioning of this regime under review and will consider over time whether any further exemptions are appropriate. Any use of this power would be guided by the operation of the regime in practice and any patterns of activity that are observed.

Regional Planning and Development: West Cumbria

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what priority they will give to specific economic green development in West Cumbria in their post-COVID-19 reconstruction plans.

Lord Callanan: We are seizing the initiative to build back better, greener, and faster from COVID-19. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution is part of the government’s mission to level up across the country, mobilising £12 billion of government investment to create and support up to 250,000 highly-skilled green jobs in the UK including in West Cumbria, helping recovery from the pandemic and spurring over three times as much private sector investment by 2030.We have previously funded the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to produce the Cumbria Local Energy Plan helping businesses develop low carbon and renewable energy projects which will contribute to sustainable economic growth. As part of a restructuring of the North West Energy Hub, the Cumbria LEP will gain a dedicated Energy Officer to assist in the delivery of the Cumbria Local Energy Plan.Over the coming months, we will bring forward further bold proposals to deliver on our ambitious climate commitments and further cement a green recovery from Covid-19, including a Net Zero Strategy, to cut emissions and create new jobs and industries across the whole country.

Migrant Workers: EU Nationals

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the current costs of obtaining short-term work visas for UK nationals seeking to work in each of the EU member states.

Lord Callanan: As part of their domestic immigration rules, each EU Member State has the power to set the cost of visas and/or work permits. This has resulted in a wide range of costs that Member States can continue to change, and at a time of their choosing. Each Member State is responsible for communicating and updating such costs, and each remains the most accurate and applicable source of this information; the UK Government does not hold this information. We urge all UK nationals to check the rules in the country they are travelling to ahead of time. These rules will differ depending on length of stay and activities undertaken abroad.The Government is committed to supporting individuals and businesses. We will continue to engage regularly with our embassies to better understand the requirements in Member States. We will also continue to enhance guidance for businesses to best support travel for work purposes under our new trading relationship with the European Union.

Bankruptcy: Wales

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many businesses have declared bankruptcy in each parliamentary constituency in Wales so far in the 2020/21 financial year.

Lord Callanan: The Insolvency Service publishes National Statistics on insolvency cases for England and Wales combined. It is not possible to identify accurately companies that trade in Wales specifically, or companies that operated within specific parliamentary constituencies before entering insolvency. The data used for insolvency statistics is compiled from information at Companies House. The registered office address for a company may not be representative of its trading location, and often it is changed upon insolvency to the address of the appointed Insolvency Practitioner dealing with the case. Subject to these caveats, the table below sets out the data on all company insolvencies registered at Companies House during the three quarters of 2020/21 ending December 2020:   Estimated number of registered company insolvencies in Wales by parliamentary constituency of company registered office11 April to 31 December 2020ConstituencyTotal Company InsolvenciesAberavon0Aberconwy1Alyn and Deeside2Arfon1Blaenau Gwent1Brecon and Radnorshire0Bridgend1Caerphilly0Cardiff Central1Cardiff North10Cardiff South and Penarth37Cardiff West27Carmarthen East and Dinefwr1Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire0Ceredigion1Clwyd South0Clwyd West1Cynon Valley4Delyn1Dwyfor Meirionnydd0Gower0Islwyn0Llanelli0Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney0Monmouth0Montgomeryshire1Neath0Newport East0Newport West11Ogmore0Pontypridd0Preseli Pembrokeshire1Rhondda0Swansea East3Swansea West68Torfaen1Vale of Clwyd0Vale of Glamorgan2Wrexham1Ynys Môn0Total177 Source: Companies House, Insolvency Service1 Companies House supplies quarterly data on company insolvencies to the Insolvency Service.  The Insolvency Service also holds data on personal bankruptcies in Wales during 2020 where the individual concerned ran a business as a sole trader or partnership. This information will be available later this year following the summer release of the official statistics covering the location, age and gender of individuals that entered insolvency in 2020 (provisionally to be released in August 2020). The latest published statistics cover the period 2000 to 2019 and are available on the GOV.UK website.

Renewable Energy

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop the renewable energy sector in the UK.

Lord Callanan: As stated in the answer I gave the noble Baroness on 23 November 2020 to Question HL10093, the next Contracts for Difference allocation round will take place later this year, in which we are aiming to deliver up to double the renewable capacity achieved in the last round. The Government has committed £160 million to support new port and manufacturing infrastructure, which is needed to achieve our 40GW offshore wind ambition and secure local jobs and benefits. We are also considering the responses received through our recent consultation on changes to supply chain plans for future allocation rounds and will respond shortly.

Construction: Vacancies

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the report by Gleeds Charting the Course: Winter 20/21 UK Market Report, published on 3 February, that there is a shortage of skilled labour available to the UK construction industry.

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the report by Gleeds Charting the Course: Winter 20/21 UK Market Report, published on 3 February, that the number of EU citizens employed in the construction industry has fallen by 28 per cent in the past year.

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the report by Gleeds Charting the Course: Winter 20/21 UK Market Report, published on 3 February, that 80 per cent of respondents to Gleeds' Autumn 2020 survey believe that tighter immigration controls will worsen labour shortages and lead to higher construction costs.

Lord Callanan: On 1 January 2021, the UK implemented a points-based immigration system that treats EU and non-EU citizens equally. The Government has introduced greater flexibility for business and migrants, while supporting the economic need of the country. A Skilled Worker visa route is open to all nationals who wish to come to the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. A range of skilled occupations in construction are included in the list of eligible occupations.The Government is supporting the construction sector in its drive to increase investment in skills development, and to equip workers with the skills that they will need for the future. This will be achieved through a joint commitment to implement reforms to the Construction Industry Training Board to make it more strategic and industry-led, and to enable the sector to make best use of funding from the Apprenticeship Levy.On 1 June 2020, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) published its Industry Recovery Plan. Employment and skills in the construction sector are identified as a priority, and a focus of the ‘Restart’ phase of the Plan is to maximise employment opportunities.The Government has welcomed the Plan and is collaborating with the CLC and industry to ensure that the proposals are implemented.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the effectiveness of the Green Homes Grant scheme.

Lord Callanan: The Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme opened for applications in September 2020. As of 8th February, 22,165 vouchers have already been issued with more being issued every day. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the voucher scheme, including a comprehensive analysis of scheme outcomes and evidence collected from scheme applicants and other stakeholders will be undertaken. We continue to listen to and act upon feedback from stakeholders as we have done since the formation of the scheme.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to support contractors with the administration of the Green Homes Grant scheme.

Lord Callanan: We are listening to feedback from installers and are working closely with Trade Associations and Certification Bodies to ensure their members are fully informed of the requirements of the scheme. We have provided guidance for quotes to both installers and homeowners, so they are clear on the information needed for the scheme administrator to approve an application and we have updated other aspects of the guidance available for installers, for example around payment processes. We have already made improvements based on feedback received and are working closely with the scheme administrator to identify further improvements and support increasing numbers of vouchers and payments to be issued. BEIS officials will continue to work closely with ICF to identify areas where the process could be improved.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with industry bodies about the effectiveness of the Green Homes Grant scheme.

Lord Callanan: We engage regularly with industry stakeholders across a range of Certification Bodies, Trade Associations and Industry Groups including TrustMark and MCS. We are listening to their feedback and working closely with those bodies to ensure their members are fully informed of the requirements of the voucher scheme. We have numerous channels for dialogue with the supply chain and consumer groups, including roundtables with certification bodies, trade bodies and representatives from the industry. In December, the Department held its first installer Webinar, taking questions and walking through the scheme details and processes with over 150 installers in attendance. There will be an independent evaluation of the processes and effectiveness of the voucher scheme, including a comprehensive analysis of scheme outcomes and evidence collected from scheme applicants and other stakeholders.

Post Offices: ICT

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to support sub-postmasters affected by failings in the Horizon IT system.

Lord Callanan: Post Office Ltd has admitted it got things wrong in relation to the Horizon IT system and has apologised. The Government understands the serious impact that issues arising from faults with the Horizon IT system, and the Post Offices management of these issues, have had on affected postmasters’ lives and livelihoods. In order to ensure that there is a public summary of failings and that this situation will never be repeated, the Government launched the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry on 29 September 2020.

Cabinet Office

Electronic Government: Data Protection

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their current requirements for the geographic location of servers used to store public data when procuring cloud services.

Lord True: When procuring cloud services, departments should use the Technology Code of Practice principles and follow the government Cloud First policy. They should also follow NCSC security guidance and the Information Commissioner's Office’s guidance on adequacy of a country’s level of data protection. These policies and guidance provide clear guidelines of the things a department should consider, including security classification and best value for the taxpayer.

Government Departments: Freedom of Information

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Freedom of Information (FOI) requests they have not responded to within 20 working days; and whether they have any plans to improve the efficiency of the FOI request system.

Lord True: The Cabinet Office publishes information on the handling of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests across Government on a quarterly basis on Gov.uk. Covid-19 has put particular pressures on public officials, but as the published figures demonstrate that between July and September 2020, departments received around 8,000 freedom of information requests and responded to almost 90% of them within 20 working days or with a permitted extension. This reflects the Government’s commitment to fulfill its freedom of information obligations, despite the pressures of responding to COVID-19.

Local Government: Elections

Lord Tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to offer (1) assistance, or (2) exemption from the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic, to deaf candidates in the May 2021 elections who are not able to contact electors by phone.

Lord True: Campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. Many forms of campaigning can be carried out without increased face-to-face contact, including online campaigning, and delivery of leaflets by post or other commercial delivery services. The Government has already uprated election expenses for council candidates, which will provide greater opportunity for such candidates to campaign in this way.

Tax Avoidance: Contracts

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ethical implications of awarding public contracts to firms which (1) directly, or (2) indirectly, help to promote tax avoidance.

Lord True: Aggressive tax avoidance is unacceptable. The grounds for exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures relating to tax are set out in The Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Local Government: Elections

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter dated 22 January from the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the May 2021 polls delivery plan, published on 5 February, what evidence they have which supports the cessation of (1) doorstep campaigning, and (2) the delivery of leaflets, by individual political party activists.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter dated 22 January from the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the May 2021 polls delivery plan, published on 5 February, what evidence they have to suggest that the delivery of leaflets by individual political party activists carries a greater risk than paid deliveries by (1) the Royal Mail, or (2) other delivery services.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter dated 22 January from the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the May 2021 polls delivery plan, published on 5 February, what steps they have taken to ensure that (1) independent, and (2) smaller political party, candidates are not disproportionately affected by the restrictions on (a) doorstep campaigning, and (b) the delivery of leaflets by individual political party activists.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation, if any, they undertook with (1) independent candidates, (2) smaller political parties, and (3) the Independent Group of the Local Government Association, in the development of the letter dated 22 January from the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the May 2021 polls delivery plan, published on 5 February.

Lord True: Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in my Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them. The Government has published a Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff. The Government has committed to further engage with political parties through the Parliamentary Parties Panel. In relation to the current national lockdown restrictions and the delivery of leaflets by volunteers, I refer the Noble Lord to the Dear Colleague letter from the Minister for Constitution and Devolution, which I have placed in the Library. The letter reflects the broader guidance and law on the national lockdown, based on advice from the Chief Scientific and Medical Officers.

Candidates: Disability

Baroness Jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the closure of the EnAble Fund, what support they plan to provide for people with disabilities to stand for elected office.

Lord Tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reinstate the EnAble Fund for Elected Office to encourage disabled people to participate as candidates in the May 2021 elections.

Lord True: It is the Government’s ambition to see more disabled people in public office. The Government has been clear that the responsibility for supporting disabled candidates sits with political parties and that the EnAble Fund was an interim measure to give parties time to put their own support in place. Ministers wrote to the main Parties twice in 2019 to ask them how they intend to support their candidates on a long-term basis.

Redundancy: Wales

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many jobs have been lost in each parliamentary constituency in Wales so far in the 2020/21 financial year.

Lord True: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician The Lord German OBEHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 15 February 2021 Dear Lord German, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many jobs have been lost in each parliamentary constituency in Wales so far in the 2020/21 financial year (HL13074). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces labour market statistics for small areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK. The APS cannot be used to measure the number of people who have lost their jobs, but instead can provide estimates of how the size of the workforce has changed over time. The survey provides level estimates for 12-month periods, based on interviews taking place throughout that time. Comparisons should only be made between non-overlapping survey periods. Table 1 shows the employment levels for the 12-month period ending September 2020, the latest available period, and the previous non-overlapping period for the 12-months ending September 2019, along with the net change between the two periods, for each parliamentary constituency in Wales. Estimates from the APS are from a sample survey and as such are subject to a certain level of uncertainty. As the information provided is quite extensive, a copy has been placed in the House of Lords library.  Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond Table 1: Number of people in employment1 for the 12 month periods ending September 2019 and September 2020, and net change between the 2 periods, in Parliamentary Constituencies in Wales  ThousandsParliamentary ConstituencyGeocodeOct 2018-Sep 2019Oct 2019-Sep 2020Net change AberavonW070000493028-2 AberconwyW0700005825261 Alyn and DeesideW0700004345450 ArfonW070000573022-8 Blaenau GwentW0700007231321 Brecon and RadnorshireW070000683229-3 BridgendW070000734242-1 CaerphillyW0700007637403 Cardiff CentralW0700005037414 Cardiff NorthW0700005158580 Cardiff South and PenarthW0700008063641 Cardiff WestW070000795447-7 Carmarthen East and DinefwrW070000673130-2 Carmarthen West and South PembrokeshireW0700006633352 CeredigionW0700006434352 Clwyd SouthW070000623935-4 Clwyd WestW070000593430-4 Cynon ValleyW070000703227-5 DelynW0700004234340 Dwyfor MeirionnyddW0700006130345 GowerW070000464341-2 IslwynW0700007738391 LlanelliW070000453635-1 Merthyr Tydfil and RhymneyW070000713331-2 MonmouthW0700005443430 MontgomeryshireW0700006330322 NeathW070000693735-1 Newport EastW0700005536382 Newport WestW0700005644451 OgmoreW0700007431332 PontypriddW0700007536415 Preseli PembrokeshireW070000653837-2 RhonddaW070000523026-4 Swansea EastW0700004831332 Swansea WestW070000473937-2 TorfaenW0700005334351 Vale of ClwydW0700006029312 Vale of GlamorganW070000784644-2 WrexhamW0700004433341 Ynys MonW070000413331-2 Wales 14681452-16   [1] Quality indicator Shaded estimates are based on a small sample size. This may result in less precise estimates, which should be used with caution. Unshaded estimates are based on a larger sample size. This is likely to result in estimates of higher precision, although they will still be subject to some sampling variability.

Musicians: Visas

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss concerns over reciprocal arrangements for touring musicians at the next meeting of the EU–UK Joint Committee.

Lord True: The arrangements for touring musicians between the UK and the EU relate to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and so would not be raised at the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee. The date of the first meetings of the committees set up under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement will be announced in due course, when we have agreed with the EU.

Department of Health and Social Care

Osteoporosis: Preventive Medicine

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what treatments are available on the NHS in England which help to prevent those with ostopenia contracting osteoporosis; and whether those with ostopenia are keptunder regular review to assess the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Lord Bethell: People with osteopenia will not necessarily go on to develop osteoporosis. In those found to have a bone density within an osteopenic range, preventative lifestyle measures, such as healthy eating, exercise and taking vitamin D supplements, are recommended to protect against developing osteoporosis.Clinicians may wish to monitor patients found to have a bone density within an osteopenic range, depending on what risk factors they have for osteoporosis or fragility fracture.

Department for Education

Vocational Education: Assessments

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that there is equitable access to BTEC qualifications.

Baroness Berridge: The department is reviewing post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below, to ensure that every qualification approved for public funding has a distinct purpose, is high quality and supports progression to positive outcomes. BTECs are in the scope of this review.We have recently consulted on the groups of qualifications we propose should be approved for funding at level 3 alongside A levels and T Levels. This includes qualifications that can be taken alongside or as alternative to A levels, where A levels alone do not cover all the skills, knowledge and understanding needed for every student to thrive at higher education, and technical qualifications where they provide competence in occupations not covered by T Levels. The consultation closed on 31 January 2021 and we are carefully considering all the responses. We will publish a response in due course. This consultation can be found here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/post-16-qualifications-review-team/review-of-post-16-qualifications-at-level-3/.No decisions have been made about the future of particular qualifications. We have published an Equality Impact Assessment alongside our review that is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/post-16-qualifications-review-team/review-of-post-16-qualifications-at-level-3/supporting_documents/Impact%20Assessment%20%20Review%20of%20post16%20qualifications%20at%20level%203_.pdf).We also want to improve study at level 2 and below, to ensure that students have clear pathways to good outcomes. We published a call for evidence seeking views on post-16 study and qualifications at level 2 and below, which closed on 14 February 2021, and we will set out further proposals in 2021. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-study-at-level-2-and-below-call-for-evidence.

Vocational Education

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey have any plans to introduce regional bodiesfor the delivery of vocational education to local communities.

Baroness Berridge: The government does not plan to introduce new regional bodies for the delivery of vocational education to local communities.As we set out in our recent ‘Skills for Jobs’ white paper, we will introduce new Local Skills Improvement Plans, led by business representative organisations, starting with a small number of areas in 2021. Mayoral combined authorities will be consulted in the development of Local Skills Improvement Plans and will continue to operate within the devolved skills powers given to them.

Apprentices: Remote Education

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangementsthey have put in place toensure that laptops are provided for apprentices whohave to work from home.

Baroness Berridge: We are committed to supporting apprentices and employers to safely continue with, and complete, their programmes during the COVID-19 outbreak.Following the announcement of a new national lockdown on 4 January 2021, employers and training providers must ensure that training and assessment takes place remotely wherever possible. Face-to-face training and assessment can continue for vulnerable young apprentices, which includes 16- to 18-year-olds who may have difficulty engaging with remote training and assessment at home due to a lack of IT equipment or connectivity, and in employers’ COVID-19 secure settings where it is essential for workers to attend their workplace, and where it is safe and practical to do so.Employers are responsible for providing their employees, including apprentices, with the tools they need to work remotely and should support apprentices with the digital resources they need to also continue their apprenticeship training remotely.To support businesses during this time, we have extended the incentive payments for employers of up to £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire until 31 March 2021. Employers can use this funding to help meet any of the costs associated with supporting a new apprentice in the workplace, including providing laptops and other resources for learning.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the UK's departure from the EU, which countries they have signed continuity trade agreements with.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: We have secured trade agreements with 64 non-EU countries. Total trade with these countries was worth £216 billion in 2019. This accounts for 97% of the value of trade with non-EU countries that we set out to secure agreements with at the start of the trade continuity programme. After the transition period began, we expanded the ambition of our programme above and beyond this original scope, securing agreements with Japan, Turkey, Vietnam and Singapore, which together accounted for £71 billion of trade in 2019. All countries with which the United Kingdom has a trade deal are set out on GOV.UK.

Trade Agreements: Africa

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: Trading under Phase I of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which began on 1st January 2021, marks a key turning point in African economic integration. It will reduce barriers to intra-African trade and diminish the complexity and costs of operating across African countries for British businesses. It should lift millions out of poverty too, and drive industrialisation on the continent. To fully realise its benefits, the ongoing Phase II negotiations must be successfully concluded, and the agreement fully implemented. The United Kingdom has supported AfCFTA negotiations with targeted technical assistance and my Hon. Friend, the Minister for Africa (James Duddridge), recently expressed our support for AfCFTA to its Secretary-General.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

British Overseas Territories: Coronavirus

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many doses of COVID-19 vaccine have (1) been offered, and (2) been supplied, to each of the British Overseas Territories, broken down by (a) the total number, and (b) as a percentage of total population over the age of 18.

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many doses of COVID-19 vaccine have (1) been offered, and (2) been supplied, to each of the Crown Dependencies, broken down by (a) the total number, and (b) as a percentage of total population over the age of 18.

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the COVID-19 vaccination timeline for (1) British Overseas Territories, and (2) the Crown Dependencies, mirrors that planned for the UK; and if not, why not.

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the supply of COVID-19 vaccines to residents of (1) British Overseas Territories, and (2) the Crown Dependencies, is being given equal priority to the supply to UK residents.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government has procured COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories and is committed to continue to providing a proportionate supply in line with roll out of the vaccine in the UK. The governments of the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories are responsible for the coordination of their own vaccination programmes. This includes setting their own frameworks for prioritisation based on demographics and their wider public health strategies. The Crown Dependencies have been supplied vaccine directly by Public Health England: details of their vaccination programmes, including up-to-date statistics on number of doses administered, can be found at gov.im, gov.je and gov.gg.The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has been coordinating the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines to the Overseas Territories with the support of the Department of Health and Social Care, the Vaccines Taskforce, Ministry of Defence and Public Health England. Deliveries to the inhabited Overseas Territories began on 5 January and as of 15 February, the FCDO has organised 16 vaccine deliveries to 10 Overseas Territories to support their individual vaccination programmes for priority groups, with further deliveries scheduled over coming weeks in line with Territories' vaccination plans. Planning is also underway to deliver vaccines to the two outstanding inhabited Territories: Tristan da Cunha and the Pitcairn Islands.Ascension Island: deliveries began 15 FebruaryAnguilla: deliveries began 4 FebruaryBermuda: deliveries began 8 January.British Virgin Islands: deliveries began 4 FebruaryCayman Islands: deliveries began 5 JanuaryFalkland Islands: deliveries began 1 FebruaryGibraltar: deliveries began 9 JanuaryMontserrat: deliveries began 3 FebruaryPitcairn Islands: delivery being arrangedSt Helena: deliveries began 11 JanuaryTristan da Cunha: delivery being arrangedTurks and Caicos Islands: deliveries began 7 JanuaryPublic Health England have been providing expert advice to the Overseas Territories on deploying the vaccines. The FCDO have provided support to the Overseas Territories throughout the pandemic, enabling seven islands to begin testing for COVID-19 for the first time, the others to continue testing, ensuring none ran out of Personal Protective Equipment, funding two military deployments and sending medical staff, ventilators and other equipment.

British Overseas Territories: World Trade Organisation

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK’s membership of the World Trade Organization includes the British Overseas Territories.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom's membership of the WTO does not currently include the Overseas Territories. The UK Government is constitutionally responsible for the international relations of the Overseas Territories, and should an Overseas Territory wish to participate in the WTO, the United Kingdom Government would look to assist in exploring the processes and options available.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 May 2020 (HL3436) and the Minister of State at the Home Office on 11 January (HC130095), what assessment they have made of the role of Tariq Al-Hassan in human rights violations in Bahrain.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We work with a wide variety of partners in Bahrain, including the Ministry of Interior and its Chief of Public Security. As previously stated, any assistance we provide is kept under regular review to ensure it fully complies with our human rights obligations and the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance process.

China: Embassies

Lord Hammond of Runnymede: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards the development of a new British Embassy in Beijing; and whether permission for the construction of that new embassy has been approved by the government of China.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Chinese government has agreed in principle to our project to build a new British embassy in Beijing. We are at the initial stages of our planning application process, with detailed submission and approval not anticipated until later this year. The design stage for the project is underway, and subject to agreement on logistics, planning and funding approval, construction on the new British embassy is expected to start in 2022.

China: Uighurs

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about reports of human rights abuses against Uighur people including the use of (1) detention camps, (2) forced labour, (3) torture, (4) rape, and (5) sterilisation.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have repeatedly raised our deep concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang at senior levels with the Chinese Government, including the Foreign Secretary raising directly with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister and State Counsellor Wang Yi on a number of occasions in the past year. Through these representations we have underlined a wide range of specific concerns, including the extra-judicial detention of Uyghurs and other minorities and the credible reports of forced labour, torture, rape and forced sterilisation.The UK has also repeatedly taken a leading international role in holding China to account for these human rights violations, including at the UN. For example, in a joint statement at the UN General Assembly Third Committee in October 2020, alongside Germany, we brought together a total of 39 countries to express grave concern at the situation in Xinjiang, referenced detention camps and reports of forced labour and forced sterilisation. The UK's national, Item 4 statement at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2020 also underlined our concern about these issues.

Gulshan Abbas

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about parole for Dr Gulshan Abbas on humanitarian grounds.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are concerned at reports of the sentencing of Dr Gulshan Abbas to 20 years in jail, and note the health concerns expressed by her family. The Foreign Secretary has raised our serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang directly with his counterpart, China's Foreign Minister and State Counsellor Wang Yi. The UK has also repeatedly taken a leading international role in holding China to account internationally. For example, our joint statement at the UN General Assembly Third Committee in October 2020, where alongside Germany, we brought together a total of 39 countries to express grave concern at the situation in Xinjiang, and called for China to allow unfettered access to the region for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other independent observers.

Bahrain: Torture

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 January (HL12009), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what assessment they made of reports that (1) torture, and (2) cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, has occurred in the Muharraq Security Complex in Bahrain; and whether they received any such reports (a) through the Torture and Mistreatment Reporting Guidance, published in March 2011, or (b) through public representations or records.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of allegations about the Muharraq Security Complex. We monitor a number of sources of information on matters that relate to human rights in Bahrain and make assessments on that basis. Our latest assessment of the human rights situation in Bahrain was published as part of our Human Rights and Democracy Report in July 2020.

USA: State Visits

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to invite President Biden to extend his visit to the UK following the G7 conference in June.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Details relating to the proposed visit of President Biden to the G7 conference in June will be set out in due course.

India: Farmers

Lord Hussain: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of (1) internet blockades, (2) use of force, (3) intimidation by state policy, and (4) human rights abuses, against farmer protestors in India.

Lord Hussain: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect the rights under international lawto freedom of association and peaceful assembly in India.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The right to gather lawfully and demonstrate a point of view is common to all democracies. Governments also have the power to enforce law and order if a protest crosses the line into illegality. We look to India to uphold the freedoms and rights guaranteed in its strong constitution and the international instruments to which India is a party. We were aware that some restrictions on internet connectivity were imposed at protest sites and welcome their removal. During his visit to India in December 2020, the Foreign Secretary discussed the protests with his Indian counterpart, whilst making clear that agricultural reform is an internal matter for the Indian authorities.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the arrest and subsequent treatment by Israel Police of a 13-year old Palestinian in Isawiya on 28 January.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children. As the Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa said on 9 December 2020, in instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have advocated swift, transparent investigations.

Uganda: Overseas Aid

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of (1) the decision by the government of Ugandato suspend the Democratic Governance Facility, and (2) the implications of that suspension for the continuation of otherdevelopment programmes in that country that are supported byUK Official Development Assistance.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK withdrew its membership and funding for of the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) in 2017. We are also aware of reports that the Government of Uganda suspended the DGF in February 2021. Given this, Any suspension of the DGF will not have an impact on our Overseas Development Assistance in Uganda. Whilst not members of the DGF, we maintain a close relationship with it. Achieving long-term success for Uganda requires strong, independent and effective institutions that uphold the rule of law and democratic principles.

Palestinians: UNRWA

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided to the UNRelief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in each of the last three financial years.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's funding contribution to UNRWA included £51.1 million in 2017, £65.4 million in 2018 and £65.6 million in 2019, as shown in the table below. Funding data is published each calendar year in the Statistics on International Development (SID) publication.£ (millions)201720182019Total UK ODA to UNRWA per calendar year51.165.465.6Source: based on Statistics for International Development but adjusted as SID is reported in line with OECD reporting directives, which classifies some UNRWA emergency and project funding separately and reports when funding was disbursed and not which year it contributed to the UNRWA programme. The figures above reflect actual total UK funding to each annual UNRWA programme, including emergency appeals.

Uganda: Overseas Aid

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken in response to reports that, since November 2020, Ugandan supporters of the National Unity Platform have been abducted by the government of Uganda's security services; and what proportion of UK Official Development Assistance is focused on security sector reform in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The treatment of opposition candidates and their supporters, including reports of abductions and arbitrary detentions, in the run-up to and since the Ugandan elections is concerning and does not provide for an open political landscape for democracy to flourish. We have raised our concerns on this at the highest level with the Government of Uganda. Following the disproportionate response by the Ugandan security services to the protests at the end of November 2020, we took the decision to cut pause funding of three projects, totalling £40,909, which were working directly with the Ugandan security services. There is currently no UK Overseas Development Assistance spend to support security sector reform. In addition to the wider UK ODA review, we are currently reviewing UKAid spend in Uganda, including the permanent status of the above projects. Following the Presidential election results on 16 January 2021, the Minister for Africa set out, in a statement, our significant concerns about the overall political climate surrounding the elections and have urged the Government of Uganda to meet its international human rights commitments. The British High Commission in Kampala has regular meetings with international partners, NGOs, the Government of Uganda, and others, in order to gain an accurate picture of the human rights situation in Uganda. We regularly urge the Government of Uganda to uphold its international human rights commitments and have spoken out both publicly and privately against human rights violations and will continue to do so.

Somalia: Politics and Government

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation in Somalia.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK engages in Somalia to support progress across a broad range of security, political, development and humanitarian issues. In terms of recent political developments, Somalia is at a critical stage. It is vital that talks resume and leaders come to an agreement on the implementation of an inclusive electoral process, to be held as soon as possible. The UK, with its international partners, continues to call on Somalia's leaders to reach this consensus, in the interests of the people of Somalia.

West Bank: Olives

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 1 February (HL12260), whether they have had any discussions about compensation for farmers who have had olive trees destroyed in the West Bank; and if so, (1) who those discussions were with, and (2) what was the outcome.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the particular significance of olive trees given their status as a national symbol and the sole source of income for many Palestinian farmers. We have not discussed the issue of compensation with the Israeli Authorities. We have repeatedly raised the issue of incidents of settler violence, including the destruction of olive trees, with the Israeli authorities. We continue to stress the importance of bringing those responsible to justice and of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Amal Nakhleh

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representationsthey have made to the government of Israel about (1) reports that the administrative detention order of Amal Nakhleh has been extended, and (2) the need forAmal Nakhleh to access treatment for an autoimmune disease.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of Amal Nakhleh's case. According to international law, administrative detention should be used only when imperative reasons of security makes it necessary, rather than as routine practice and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention and regularly raise this with the Israeli Ministry of Justice. We also fund projects providing legal aid to assist children with legal representation and capacity building to local lawyers. Ultimately, a lasting peace agreement is needed which ensures that all those who are in need of medical attention have access to healthcare provisions.

Syria: Armed Conflict

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of Syria is mounting an offensive in Idlib; and what steps they are taking in response to theremarks made by (1) the UN Special Envoy for Syria, and (2) the Under-Secretary-General Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, at the meeting of the UN Security Council on 20 January.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: UN Envoy Geir Pedersen has described a 'fragile calm' in Syria that could break down at any moment. The UK welcomes Turkey's efforts to uphold the ceasefire in Idlib and prevent a further regime offensive. We urge all parties to adhere to agreed ceasefires and their obligations under international law. We also fully support Geir Pedersen's efforts towards a political solution to the conflict in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Tackling the humanitarian impact of the Syria crisis remains a priority for the UK as the Assad regime's policies devastate the Syrian economy and deny aid to the most vulnerable. We continue to use our position at the UN Security Council to push for greater aid access into Syria and we remain committed to supporting aid delivery, through all mechanisms, to those in need.

Africa: Coronavirus

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist African nations to access adequate supplies of COVID-19 vaccine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. The UK has committed £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) - the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines, of which the UK is one of the largest bilateral donors. Through match funding, the commitment encouraged other donors to commit $1 billion by the end of 2020. Our commitment will contribute to the supply of at least 1.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 for up to 92 countries in the global south, including 46 countries in Africa.To ensure equitable vaccine access and delivery is achieved in Africa, FCDO has strengthened its engagement with regional bodies such as the African Centre for Disease Control and World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, alongside country relationships. FCDO is tracking assessments of country preparedness and is working at national and regional levels to support efforts to build country capacity to deliver vaccines and monitor vaccine roll-out, ensuring high risk groups are prioritised. The UK is also contributing up to £20 million to the African Union's continental response to COVID-19.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number of women who did not receive an automatic uplift to their State Pension under the 2009 pension rule changes, and (2) the number of women who did not claim pension uplifts that they were due prior to 2009.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: There has been no assessment of the numbers requested since there was no such State Pension rule change in 2009.

Occupational Pensions

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reporting they require from (1) pension providers, (2) employers, and (3) payroll operators, to verify the accuracy of auto-enrolment pension contributions; and what steps they (a) have taken, or (b) plan to take, to ensure that pension contribution records are routinely (i) checked, and (ii) reconciled, for auto-enrolment data errors each year.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: Automatic enrolment has been a great success, with over 10 million employees enrolled and more than 1.7 million employers having met their duties to date. Government has put in place a robust, proportionate compliance framework. This is administered by The Pensions Regulator (TPR), and includes detailed regulatory guidance about how to comply with the law. An employer is required to select a qualifying pension scheme; enrol qualifying staff into that scheme, and deduct any contributions payable under automatic enrolment. Employers as well as the trustees or managers of pension schemes must keep certain records including details of the pension contributions payable in each relevant pay reference period by an employer to the scheme. This includes the contributions due on the employer’s behalf and deductions made from an individual’s earnings. As part of the Regulator’s guidance, employers and pension scheme trustees or managers must hold information about payment schedules and contributions for six years, except for opt-outs which must be kept for a minimum of four years. TPR has published codes of practice on its website setting out how trustees of defined contribution pension schemes and managers of personal pension schemes should monitor the payment of contributions, provide information to help members check their contributions and report material payment failures to TPR. As part of TPR’s codes of practice and guidance, there is a requirement for scheme providers to have sufficient monitoring processes in place. This includes having a risk based approach to monitor employers who should have in place appropriate internal controls to ensure correct and timely payment of contributions due to meet their employer duties. If the trustee or manager becomes aware that this is not the case, or that the employer does not appear to be taking adequate steps to remedy the situation, for example where there are repetitive and regular payment failures, then it must be reported to TPR. The responsibility lies with the employer to ensure their payroll processes are correct whether in house or outsourced. TPR’s compliance checks include checks of employer payroll processes and detailed reviews of payroll software. TPR does hold payment failure reports from pension providers but these do not necessarily represent data errors. In addition, TPR publishes regular assessments of its automatic enrolment compliance and enforcement activities as well as an annual commentary and analysis report, both of which are available on its website.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Land: Prices

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost per hectare of (1) prime arable land, (2) new woodland, and (3) mature woodland.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Defra purchased arable land price data until 2018, sourced from the Royal Agricultural University Rural Land Market Survey, run by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Defra has also sourced RICS transaction-based data (that include a residential component) for 2019, which is the latest available data set. The data covers the UK and includes regional estimates. Data for “prime” arable land is not available, and the data is for all classifications of arable land. The table below shows the latest available arable land price estimates (£/hectare) for the six months to the end of 2018 for survey and the first 6 months of 2019 transaction data respectively: Country2018 RICS Survey price (£/ha)2019 RICS Transaction price (£/ha)England20,65022,258Scotland14,826(Not Available)Wales22,85720,059Northern Ireland28,93428,280 Regional prices in England (2018 RICS survey estimates) range from £19,151 to £22,610 per hectare. Currently there is no assessment on the cost per hectare of new woodland, and mature woodland as the cost of these woodlands vary significantly depending on location and quality, with many factors contributing to their value. The general consensus is that established woodland has a typical value of around £10 - 15k per hectare with significant variation around this range depending on size of wood, species composition and volume of timber standing.

Home Office

Asylum: Children

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children reached Britain in each of the last three years; and what plans they have to ensure the (1) identification, (2) safety, and (3) wellbeing, of these children.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The number of unaccompanied children who make asylum claims is published in the quarterly immigration statistics. The latest statistics can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-applications-decisions-and-resettlementProtecting vulnerable children is a key priority for the Government and the Home Office takes its responsibility for the welfare of children very seriously. Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 requires the Secretary of State to make arrangements for ensuring that immigration, asylum and nationality functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are in the UK.All Home Office staff with responsibility for interviewing and making decisions on asylum claims from children will have received specific training as a precursor to considering claims from children.In line with our published guidance on handling asylum claims from children, once a child is encountered, the relevant local authority children’s services will be contacted and informed of the arrival and a referral made. Any modern slavery or urgent welfare concerns must be dealt with as a matter of priority.Thereafter Home Office staff have an ongoing obligation to escalate any welfare concerns they have to the local authority children’s services throughout the course of the asylum process. In 2019, the UK received more asylum applications from unaccompanied children than any other country in Europe.

Sexual Offences

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 3 February (HL12365), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what assessment they have made of the change in rates of sexual abuse by women reported to police; and what assessment they have made of the impact of police recording suspects' self-identified gender on the number of cases of sexual abuse being recorded as committed by women.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: As set out in my response, information on sexual abuse committed by transgender women is not held centrally. Information on trends in sexual offences recorded by the police is routinely published by the Office for National Statistics. The most recent publication, is available here; https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2020.The Office for National Statistics had made it clear that sexual offences recorded by the police do not provide a reliable measure of trends in these types of crime. Sexual offences, including examples of sexual abuse, are underreported and therefore cannot be used to accurately assess changes in perpetrator demographics.The Government takes all forms of sexual abuse extremely seriously, regardless of between who it takes place or the profile of the perpetrator. Whether it is committed by a woman or a man, sexual abuse in any situation, is unacceptable.We are taking action to improve outcomes for rape cases through our end-to-end review of the criminal justice response to rape, which commenced in Spring 2019. The review covers from the point of police report through to final outcome in court.We are committed to ensuring victims receive the support they deserve - the Ministry of Justice has awarded £12 million to 91 rape support centres across England and Wales in 2020/21 to provide independent, specialist support to female and male victims of sexual violence. This represents a total investment of £32m over the last three years.

Human Trafficking: Children

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of COVID-19 on (1) the level of child trafficking in the UK, and (2) their efforts to combat such trafficking.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: This Government is committed to protecting those at risk from abuse and exploitation, including during the Covid-19 pandemic.The Home Office publishes statistics on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals on a quarterly basis, and reports up to Q3 2020 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statisticsNRM referrals for individuals who were potentially exploited as children for quarter 1 (January to March), quarter 2 (April to June) and quarter 3 of 2020 (July to September) were 1,237, 1,274 and 1,159 respectively. Quarter 4 statistics (October to December 2020) are being prepared and the release date will be confirmed here. national referral - Research and statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)During the Covid-19 pandemic, NRM referral rates may have been affected by a number of factors. This includes reduced levels of travel from other countries to the UK, and lockdown measures in the UK meaning victims have been less likely to interact with First Responders.The Home Office recognises victims are coming into contact with different services during the pandemic and we have worked to raise awareness of the indicators of modern slavery with the providers of these services to ensure victims continue to be identified and supported.The Home Office continues to work with a range of partners to identify and deliver effective prevention activity. This includes successful awareness raising initiatives such as the Government’s ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ campaign and the #SlaveryonYourDoorstep campaign led by CrimeStoppers. We also have a dedicated GOV.UK resources page that provides up-to-date information on how to spot the signs of modern slavery and report concerns.Throughout the pandemic, we have worked closely with law enforcement partners to monitor risks and ensure that social distancing measures do not impede their ability to carry out work to prevent and tackle crime or prevent victims coming forward.

Musicians: EU Nationals

Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether self-employed musicians from the EU coming to the UK on a regular basis can do so under Permitted Paid Engagement; and if not, what plans they have to make arrangements to facilitate such visits.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Permitted Paid Engagement visitor route allows professionals in several sectors, including musicians, to enter the UK for up to one month to undertake permitted paid engagements, where they have been invited by a UK-based organisation and without the need to apply through the sponsored work routes.Whilst there is no formal limit on how many times a visitor can enter the UK under this route, decision makers will consider whether any repeat use is for temporary work; the applicant’s main place of employment is overseas and they do not intend to live in the UK through frequent or successive visits.

Racial Harassment: Internet

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the (1) investigation, and (2) prosecution, of online racist abuse by the(a) police, and (b) Crown Prosecution Service.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We have robust legislation in place to deal with internet trolls, cyber-stalking and harassment, and perpetrators of grossly offensive, obscene, or menacing behaviour.We have published the Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper, which includes specific measures to work with private companies and ensure that they are held to account for tackling illegal activity and content, such as hate crime, harassment, and cyber-stalking, as well as activity and content which may not be illegal but is nonetheless highly damaging to individuals (legal but harmful). The Full Government Response will be followed by legislation, which we are working on at pace, and will be ready this year.The Home Office also funds a Police Online Hate Crime Hub to improve the police response to victims of online hate crime.

Immigration: Afghanistan

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue visas to those Afghan nationals who worked as translators with the British Armed Forces; and whethersuch visaswill be issued on the same basis as the process already launched in the United States for Afghan nationals who worked as translators with the United States military.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government recognises the vital role of interpreters and local staff in operations in Afghanistan. That is why there are two dedicated schemes designed to help them relocate to the UK: the ex-gratia scheme and the intimidation policy. Over 1,300 former Afghan interpreters, and their family members, have been relocated to the UK under these schemes since 2014.Those who apply and are approved for relocation are brought to the UK as soon as suitable accommodation has been sourced and support arrangements are in place.

Migrant Workers: EU Nationals

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the current costs of obtaining (1) short-term work visas, and (2) certificates of sponsorship, for EU citizens seeking to work in the UK; why there are different charges for citizens of different EU member states; and whether this policy reflects the UK’s commitment in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement to treat the EU as a bloc for short-term visit visas.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Details of all Immigration and Nationality Fees are published on gov.uk at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table/home-office-immigration-and-nationality-fees-31-january-2021.The UK has long standing arrangements in its legislation for the nationals of countries which have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe’s Social Charter (CESC) to qualify for a fee reduction for visa applications to come to work in the UK.Nationals of the 26 countries which have signed and ratified the CESC are eligible for a reduction of £55 to their application fee if they are applying for a visa under a work route. Where the applicant is required to have a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from their employer, the CoS can be issued free of charge.Details of the routes which qualify for a reduced fee are published at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fee-arrangements-for-cesc-nationals/fee-arrangements-for-cesc-nationals.The fee reduction of £55 only applies to the main applicant, it does not apply to dependants.There is no visa requirement for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens visiting the UK for up to 180 days. The UK-EU TCA obliges the UK to treat all EU citizens as a bloc for the purposes of imposing any short term visit visa requirement.

Slavery

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they published their most recent strategy on the prevention of modern slavery.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK is regarded as a world-leader for its response to modern slavery. The UK response is underpinned by the Modern Slavery Strategy 2014 and the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the first legislation of its kind. The Modern Slavery Strategy 2014 is structured around a ‘four Ps’ framework including a strategic pillar on prevent.The Home Office continues to work with a range of partners to identify and deliver effective prevention activity. This included successful awareness raising initiatives such as the Government’s ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ campaign, as well as training for frontline responders to better prevent and spot the signs of modern slavery. We also have a dedicated GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modern-slavery-training-resource-page/modern-slavery-training-resource-page) resources page that provides up-to-date information on how to spot the signs of modern slavery and report concerns.In addition, HMG is investing £10m to fund Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre to bring together and commission innovative research to enhance the evidence base on modern slavery, including on strengthening prevention initiatives.

Slavery

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to prevent re-trafficking of (1) known, or (2) suspected, victims of trafficking and modern slavery.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and is working in a number of ways, both in the UK and upstream, to prevent re-trafficking.Support provided through the National Referral Mechanism for potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery identified in the UK aims to protect individuals from further harm and prevent possible re-trafficking.In addition, the UK has strong relationships with a number of countries from where many victims originate and is working with them to provide a range of support for victims, including reintegration, as well as awareness raising and operational capacity building activity to prevent trafficking from occurring. For example, our ODA-funded Modern Slavery Fund provides a range of essential support including direct assistance via shelters and medical aid, to economic skills training and raised awareness of risks.

Human Trafficking: Children

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many child trafficking cases in the National Referral Mechanism have been suspended before a conclusive decision was made in the past three years.

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many adult trafficking cases in the National Referral Mechanism have been suspended before a conclusive decision was made in the past three years.

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in cases where a child awaiting a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) decision has been reported missing and does not return within 48 hours, how long is the NRM case file held open for before it is suspended.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: When the Single Competent Authority becomes aware that an individual is missing, their National Referral Mechanism (NRM) case can be suspended unless there is already sufficient information available on which to make a decision. Suspended cases can be reopened at any time.Sections 14.194 - 14.204 of the Modern Slavery: Statutory Guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015) and Non-Statutory Guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland Version 2.0 sets out the actions the SCA takes when suspending a case.The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics regarding the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) the latest published NRM statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics. However, the statistics do not currently contain data on the number of cases suspended prior to a Conclusive Grounds decision.

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much match funding they have given the Northern Ireland Executive to address paramilitary activity up to the end of the current financial year; and how much they will provide (1) in the 2021/22 financial year, and (2) beyond.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The UK Government is committed to working with the Northern Ireland Executive in their work to tackle paramilitarism. Through the Fresh Start Agreement we have, to date, provided £25 million of match funding to the Executive’s Tackling Paramilitarism, Criminality and Organised Crime Programme. This funding ends in this financial year and further funding will be confirmed shortly. In addition to this, the New Decade, New Approach Agreement 2020 also included a further UK Government commitment to provide additional funding for tackling paramilitarism. An announcement on this will also be made shortly.

Treasury

Revenue and Customs: Small Businesses

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of thechange in HMRC’s status as a preferential creditor on the borrowing capacity of small businesses.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The recent change to HMRC’s creditor status for certain debts ensures that when a business enters insolvency, more of the taxes paid in good faith by its employees and customers, but held temporarily by the business, go to fund public services as intended, rather than be distributed to other creditors. This change is not expected to have a significant impact on financial institutions, the lending market or wider economy.The Government has engaged extensively with stakeholders in the finance industry and held a formal consultation on the policy design. Having considered all views carefully, the Government believes these reforms take a fair and proportionate approach, balancing the interests of taxpayers, the Exchequer and other creditors.This measure is forecast to raise up to £255 million a year. To put this into perspective, bank lending to small and medium-sized businesses alone in 2019 was £57 billion, and the majority of business lending is by fixed charges and is unaffected by this measure.The OBR did not make any adjustments to their economic forecast in response to this measure.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Wales

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been paid in payments under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in each parliamentary constituency in Wales to date.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The value of claims split by Parliamentary Constituency is not available. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme provides funds to PAYE schemes to support employers to pay a proportion of the wages of furloughed staff. The registered address for PAYE schemes can be in a different area to that where their employees live and work. In addition, for PAYE schemes claiming for between 1 and 99 employments there has been no requirement to specify the amount claimed for each employment. As a consequence, it is not possible to provide reliable figures for the monetary value of the support provided by geographical area.

Free Zones: Money Laundering and Tax Evasion

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what safeguards they plan to put in place to ensure that planned UK freeports and free zones are not susceptible (1) to tax evasion, and (2) to money laundering, activities that have been reported in relation to the freeports and free zones in EU member states.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The UK plays a key role in tackling cross-border illegal activity and this is not going to change. Freeports are commonly used across the globe, and we have learnt from these examples to build upon our current expertise to ensure cross-border illegal activity is thwarted.1) The government’s commitment to combatting abusive tax practices, such as avoidance and evasion, has been a key consideration throughout the design of the Freeports tax offer. To ensure they are claimed only for legitimate purposes in support of the Freeport objectives, each relief has been designed with strict eligibility criteria. The legislation governing each relief will also contain mechanisms to prevent or combat illegitimate claims of those reliefs, such as clawback mechanism2) Freeports will have to adhere to the OECD Code of Conduct for clean Free Trade Zones and must maintain the current obligations on Freeports set out in the UK’s Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017.

Free Zones

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their proposed sites for freeports and free zones include the seven UK sites that had this status until 2012.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Freeport locations will be chosen according to the fair, open and transparent selection process, as set out in the Freeports Bidding Prospectus. This is a competitive process and all ports across the country were eligible to apply for Freeport status, regardless of whether or not they had Freeport status until 2012.

Betting: Taxation

Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Gambling Commission’s consumer affordability proposals on tax receipts from betting.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: No assessment has been made on the impact on receipts of the Gambling Commission’s proposals, which are currently subject to consultation.As is the case with all taxes, the revenue from gambling taxation is subject to constant evaluation.

Musical Instruments: Customs

Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Admission Temporaire Carnets will be required for portable musical instruments carried by musicians for professional purposes when travelling (1) between the UK and the EU, and (2) between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: ATA carnets are an option for moving goods temporarily between the UK and the EU; Temporary Admission is another. Whether to use an ATA carnet is generally a commercial decision based on cost effectiveness and the individual’s or business’s circumstances. A carnet is generally not necessary for musicians travelling between GB and NI or between GB and the EU with accompanied instruments (carried or taken with the individual in personal baggage or a vehicle). In this case a person can make a “declaration by conduct” which is simply the act of moving through a ‘Green Channel’ at a port or airport.

Unemployment: Debts

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in personal debt by individuals who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government works closely with the Money and Pensions Service to monitor financial difficulty through an annual survey and notes the Financial Conduct Authority’s biennial Financial Lives Survey.The Government recognises that some people are struggling with their finances at this challenging time. To help people in problem debt get their finances back on track, an extra £37.8 million support package has been made available to debt advice providers this financial year, bringing this year's budget for free debt advice in England to over £100 million.In May 2020, the Government announced the immediate release of £65 million of dormant assets funding to Fair4All Finance, an independent organisation that has been founded to support the financial wellbeing of people in vulnerable circumstances. The funding is used to increase access to fair, affordable and appropriate financial products and services for those in financial difficulties.From May 2021, the Breathing Space scheme will offer people in problem debt a pause of up to 60 days on most enforcement action, interest, fees and charges, and will encourage them to seek professional debt advice.The Government has delivered unprecedented support for living standards during this challenging time, protecting livelihoods with the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and temporary welfare measures.The Government has extended the CJRS until 31 March 2021. Eligible employees will continue to receive 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.The Government has increased the overall level of the third grant under the SEISS to 80% of average trading profits, meaning that the maximum grant available has now increased to £7,500.The Government has provided local authorities with £500 million to support people who may struggle to meet their council tax payments this year. The Government expects that this will provide all recipients of working age local council tax support with a further reduction in their annual council tax bill of £150 this financial year.These measures are in addition to the changes this Government has made to make the welfare system more generous, worth over £7 billion according to recent estimates by the Office for Budget Responsibility.The Government has worked with mortgage lenders, credit providers and the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure the financial sector provides support for people across the UK to manage their finances by providing payment holidays on mortgages and consumer credit products.The Government has also delivered protections for renters, including an extension to the ban on bailiff evictions for all but the most egregious cases until at least 21 February 2021, with measures kept under review.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Technology

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop the technology sector.

Baroness Barran: The digital sector contributed £151bn to the UK economy in 2019 and accounts for 7.6% of UK GVA. It supports 1.6 million jobs and around 232,000 businesses of which almost all are SMEs. The Government is taking great strides to support this growth, championing the digital sector across Whitehall and supporting it through EU Exit and the pandemic. As many companies struggled due to the pandemic, HMG introduced unprecedented support for the sector, including the Future Fund, Bounce Back Loans and Coronavirus Business Loans. The Future Fund alone has disbursed £1,066m in convertible loans to 1,055 innovative companies facing difficulties, including digital businesses. Throughout the EU Exit process, HMG engaged regularly with the sector to understand their concerns, providing bespoke guidance for the sector throughout the Transition Period. Last year DCMS introduced the UK Gigabit Programme and the Shared Rural Network programme to develop the country’s broadband infrastructure; introduced a Digital Markets Taskforce, an Online Harms White Paper response and a Digital Identity Call for Evidence to ensure people remain safe online. We ran an entirely digital London Tech Week to show our support for the sector. This event was a resounding success, with initial figures suggesting 2,500 unique viewers attended each day, with 24,000 registering for the entire event. DCMS also delivers support through Tech Nation and our Digital Trade Network.

Women and Equalities

Coronavirus: Disadvantaged

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government, since the publication of their reportQuarterly Report on progress to address COVID-19 health inequalitieson 22 October 2020, what (1) actions have been taken, and (2) progress has been made, in relation to implementing Recommendation 12 of that report, regarding public health advice in languages other than English.

Baroness Berridge: The Government has made significant progress in implementing Recommendation 12 and addressing COVID-19 health inequalities. This includes regularly translating public health communications into other languages and formats, including Easy Read, and working with local authorities to translate assets according to local need. Translated materials are routinely shared in editable formats so they can be useful by as wide an audience as possible.The Minister for Equalities will shortly be publishing her second quarterly progress report to the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary, which will include a more detailed update against this and the other recommendations from her report of 22 October.